A black Knight sits on a throne of obsidian crystals and bone. black Void-essence from him. His solid red glowing eyes are unblinking
and unflinching. A visor covering his face.
The black Knight spoke to the one in his presence.
"Why are you in the DarkVoid Aegis?" his mere voice powerful enough to crack the obsidian-bone throne.
Aegis was a white knight with mirroring features to the black knight the only exceptions being his cloudy white armor and glowing golden eyes.
"Calm down Ajax, can't one visit his brother?"
Aegis voice repairs the cracked bones and
small amount of flesh is restored as well.
Aegis continues.
"I want renegotiate"
Ajax becomes visibly angered.
"You already have half of the FairVoid yet you want my half as well?" all the bones and crystal around Ajax shatter as he stands up from his throne.
"Can you let me finish?, aren't you tired of the
"balance" Mother speaks of?
Of her hypocrisy?
Do you truly wish to sit on that rotting and cracking throne forever? l think not."
"Fine. I'm listening." Ajack says reluctantly after fixing his throne with telekinesis.
and sitting back down.
Aegis speaks.
"A wager, your DarkVoid against my BrightVoid the battlefield will be the FairVoid.
Winner takes all. What do you say?"
"Go make your Voidkindle and a I will make mine, though you do know that mother will be displeased?" Ajax comments.
"I'm counting on it" his confidence apparent
in his voice.
******
A forest could be seen for miles only the three mountains were spared from being devoured by green, instead having white peaks as if they were some kind of oasis in the desert of green.
In the center of such a place was a clearing with a busting village filled with elves walking the dirt streets, some exchanged goods while two children competed as to who could throw a rock the furthest.
A male child exuding as much confidence as
a eight year old could, readied his arm with
his trusty rock in hand.
Another child of similar age teased the child with the stone.
"I bet you can't hit that bird Zion!"
The small red haired elf girl pointed at a sparrow that was resting on a the branch of a tree near the edge of the village.
The boy named Zion was easily provoked but
still wanted something out of this challenge.
"What do I get if I hit it?"
Zion asked.
"Hmm...." the girl thought for a moment.
a tinge of red appeared on her face.
"Ah I know! I-I w-will marry you when we grow
up ok?."
"Are you sure Silica?"
Zion's mother explained to him what marriage ment before she passed, so he wasn't embarrassed.
Just confused that she would want to be with him forever.
Silica saw him looking at her with a serious
gaze and her blushing intensified.
"Im s-sure, but it's not like your going to hit it
anyway"
Silica responded.
"Ok"
Zion said as he aimed his stone at the sparrow and threw it as hard as he could.
Elves are about five times stronger than a human of the same age so his strength was
comparable to an adult human male that
was not using mana strengthing, which gave
a similar amount of strength.
SPLAT.
The sparrow died on contact with the stone.
it's bloody feathers slowly falling to the ground.
Zion didn't react to it that much as he was used to seeing dead things and it was no different to him even if he was doing the deed
himself this time, instead of watching his father do it.
For Silica it was a different story
she was considered "high-born" so she had
never seen something so disgusting in all
her eight years and so the expected happened.
She began crying, looking at Zion and
Questioned him in-between sniffles.
"is.... it dead?"
Zion didn't lie as he was taught not to, but did feel the urge to do so.
"Yes it is dead....I didn't mean to kill it though.
it was weaker than I expected." his face wasn't
full of remorse, rather it was pity of something so weak.
(I will never be like that.) he vowed in his mind.
Silicas face was filled with sadness. She didn't blame him but was harder on herself for
she was the one who had proposed the challenge in the first place.
"We should give it a place to rest in at
least."
And so they made a small grave at the foot of the tree were the sparrow had died. In all her sorrow she had forgotten about her sudden marriage talk from before, thus the bird had died in vain?
*****
A few miles away was a band of mercenaries
about one hundred strong.
With a man in dark violet robes leading them.
His face was not visible but his arms peeked
out from the robe revealing arms wrapped in
bandages.
Some of the mercs grumbled complaing to
each other. One of them did this to the original
leader of this group who was a bald man with
a long brown beard, he was doned with
rather expensive enchanted steel plate armor
and a large axe hanging off his back a cold
air coming off it, clearly it was enchanted as well.
"Boss Malik, what did he promise that's good
enough to let him lead the group into Elven territory without explaining anything?"
Malik looked at his subordinate for a moment
wonder whether to tell him or not, with a greedy look in his eyes he ultimately decided the former.
"10,000 gold, 5k before the job, 5k after."
The surrounding mercs that had overheard
the conversation, we're blown away all of
them immediately looking at the man in violet.
(even our highest paying job ever was only
100 gold, this was one hundred times that!)
Another merc was also astounded.
(That means we each get one hundred gold
you could live nearly 20 years off that amount!)
The man in violet finally stopped moving.
With a raspy voice he ask a question.
"Do you see that Elven Village?"
he pointed to the left of himself about 150 ft
away.
Malik being the go-to leader responded.
"Yes sir, but why is it important?"
The man's voice commanded them.
"Destroy it and take what ever you want. I will be preoccupied with something, and if you find a elf child with red hair and eyes, do not hurt her and notify me immediately."
The man grumbled internally.
(I wouldn't have to ask them to look for the girl
If my familiar hadn't been killed, if I find
that Blue haired one I'll kill him slowly.)
Malik steeled his resolve before he gave the details to one of his men, who passed it along to the rest.
Malik began speaking to his men.
"When I stared the Avarice mercenary company I told you all that we
would one day do something
that would land us in hell after our deaths.
Today is that day, But... I'd rather sleep in hell
later, then to live another day in it now.
ARE YOU WITH ME!"
his voice exuding some gravitas.
"YES SIR"
All the men replied and not a single one objected to the atrocity they were about to
commit. Was their greed that blinding?
or did they just have nothing to lose?
****
Back at the village, a guard was running
to notify the village.
"Were under attack, hide in your homes!"
Zion and Silica heard the alarmed man a began running home each in going in different
directions.
Before she left Silica turned to Zion and made
a promise with herself.
"I will see you tomorrow, promise?"
"Promise."